Apparatus for determining characteristics of fluids



R. D. MCDILL APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING CHARACTERISTICS OF FLUIDS Filed Sept. 5, 1953 2- Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEY w x, mi.

2 3. m /ma e m@ w m Patented June l, 1.1937

APPARATUS FOR ,DETERMlNmG CHARAC- TERISTICS OF FLUIDS ne; D. Melun, East cleveiandgohio Application September 5, 1933, Serial No. 688,090 sclaims. (ci. ca 14) This invention relates to the determination of the transparency or opaqueness of materials and is particularly adapted to thedetermination of such characteristics of liquid or iiuiciV materials.

lAn object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus by which the relative opaqueness or transparency of materials may-be accurately measured or compared.'

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus by which the opaqueness or transparency of materials may be measured or compared which will be simple in construction and operation.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatus by which the opaqueness or transparency of materials maybe measured or compared which will be compact in size and light in weight.

Another object is to provide an improved apparatuswhieh will be automatically controlled.

Other objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention will be better understood from the description of two practical embodiments thereof, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in .which Figure 1 is a plan view of a device designed and calibrated. for the comparing of lubricatingA oils, intended for use by service stations and the like, to. indicate the condition of the oil in. the engines of automotive vehicles and to determine whether or not it needs to be changed;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line lil-#II of Figure 1;

Figure-3 is a fragmentary and large sectional View taken on the line 111-111 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a view taken on the line V--V of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a view corresponding to a portion of Figure 3 but showing a modified structure;

Figures 7 and 8 are perspective views showing different stages in the preparation of the parts of the apparatus; and. A

.Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical circuits used.

It is well known that lubricating oil when used 4 in crank cases of internal combustion motors and similar situations is subject to deterioration fromseveral causes. An important cause of this deterioration is the acquiring of particles of solid material, such as carbon, together: withl particles of metal worn from the moving parts of the engine, probably rust, and the like, which particles are generallyabrasive in character and of course detrimental to the moving parts of the( be, obtained when the standard iihn is applied.

,machinery The accumulation of such solidA l material goes on constantly while the machinery is in operation and tends to darken the color of the lubricant very materially. The appearance4 of the lubricant, however, does not provide any 5 satisfactory criterion of whether the amount of solid material is seriously detrimental tol the machinery or not.

By the use of the apparatus above referred to, a small quantity of the lubricant is` spread out 10 into a thin flhn and a beam of light passed `through kthis film. The light is, bf course, stoppedby the solid particles in its path so that the proportion of light which passes through the hlm is reversely proportionate to the amount of vsolid 15 material in suspension.

Accordingly, to determine the relative amount of 'solid materialin suspension, it is necessary. first that the thickness of the film studied should be accurately determined; second,- that this lm. 20. besuiiiciently thin to'permit the passage of a. conveniently measurable quantity of light and to prevent the natural ,coloration of the lubricant itself from having any appreciable effect upon this light; and third, that .convenient 25 means be provided for comparing this hlm-with some film of known characteristics which acts as a standard of cc'rmparison.y

' For such a standard, I find it convenient and efficient to use clean, relatively clear oil of a vls- 30 plates, and of a light sensitive recording means positioned on the other side of this film to-receive and record' the quantity of light'passing through thefum. .In addition, for convenience 45 in calibration, means should be provided for adjusting either the intensity of the light or the light sensitive means so that a base reading can The apparatus illustrated consists of a gen- .50 verally rectangular casing I which rests upon resilient feet 2, such -as rubberrbuttons, and is provided on, its top with a .carryhig' handle 3. One side of the casing 4 is removably connected 55 `vide ready access to the parts Within.

Secured to this removableside is a rectangu- '.6 carrying the material to be inspected. Below and extending to bothsides of the support, `is a bracket 1 also secured to the removable side and arranged to carry the source of light and the light sensitive element. The former is shown as an incandescent bulb 8, mounted in a socket 9, carried by a reflector .I 0, these parts being supported 'upon an L-shaped bracket II, and secured by a bolt I2 to the bracket 1. The bolt passes through an elongated slot I3 to permit adjustment ofthe light toward and from the support 5. I v

` Mounted upon the support 1 on the side of the support 5 remotefrom the `bulb B is a socket I4, shown as havingtwov pairs of prongreceiving apertures, connected in parallel, into either pair of which two prongs of a light sensitive element or photo-cell I5 may be inserted, so that the cell may be adjusted into either of two positions with respect to support 6. Two apertures I6 and I1 are provided through the side walls of .support 5,in alignment with the bulb and photo-cell.

The slide 6 consists hingedly connected together by `a arranged to be swung into parallelism for insertion in the device or to be separated as illustrated in Figure 'I for cleaning and for application of the material to be inspected. These arms are shown ras of slightly hollowed-out or of twcsnns is ans is other. l In the recess of arm 'I8 a she'et or pane ci glass 20 is situated and held in position byglugs 5I8avbent inwardly from the flanges ofthe arm. 40 The edges of the glass are shown as bevelled to provide room for these lugs. vUpon the surface of this sheet of glass are secured two thin 'glass spacer plates 2i. .the thickness of which I ilnd,

may conveniently be about six thousandths of an inch, and which may be secured to the plates by sodiumsilicate or any other desired adhesive. The spacers are shown Vas two parallel strips of glass secured near the ends of .the pane 22 so that any liquid which is placed between them 50' may freely flow to either side and is not confined v excepting by the panes 20 and 22. The spacers are themselves disposed within the space dened fbythe innensurfaces of the panes are of a minimum thickness to maintain these 55 panesl at a predetermined thus reducing to a minimum the expansive effects of temperature changes. A sheet or pane of glass 22' is loosely carried by arm Il, its'motiontcvward ann I8 being limited bylugs- Ila similar to those previously-described. Between the web of l 22 resilient means are interposed urging `the pane toward arm Il, these resilient means being shown as leaf springs 23, although other types 65 of springs or resilient materials such as rubber maybe A hook 24 ispivoted to arm I2 and arranged to engage over pin 25 upon arm VI0 to hold the' armsinclosed position. To assistthe hook 70 oir' to serve as a substitute for it, the inner-.ends

of :n.ipporii 5 are formed vtovconverge and resiliently press upon the ends of the arms when inserted into the device. j4 Y `An L-sbaped bracket '2t is'secured to supi- 75 porti and carries 'a block 21 of electricalinsuquently against the readings.

pin 6a and.

channeled shape, withthe recesses facing each and hence tion ofthe hand of Vsiredtoinilpect.

lating material which serves as a support for switch arms 28 and 29 and also as a stop limiting the inward motion of the slide 6, as most clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4. The switch arms are positioned to one side of the center of the slide and arranged to bev engaged by the hook 24 so that the arms will be pressed together by the slide only when inserted in one position, vshown as with a hinged end out and with the hookup.

Holes 30 are provided through arms I8 and I8 in alignment with the portion of the panes between the spacers 2|, the holes being smaller than the holes I6 and I1 and so controlling the size of the beam passed through the slide. These holes are positioned nearer one end4 of the lslide than the other so that ifthe slide should `be inserted with the hinged end first, even-if the switch 28 and 29 should in some manner be actuated. the beam of light will not pass directly from lamp 8 to the photocell I5. thus serving as a second safeguard against inaccurate positioning of the slide and conseobtaining of inaccurate Carried by the top of the box is a meter 2| and a rheostat 32 `and within the box are positionsed dry cells or other sources of electricity 8 The parts are connected as shown in Figure 9. Wires 24 and 25 extend from the terminals of socket I4 to the'terminals of the meten, connecting the photocell and meter in one simple circuit. Y

One side of rheostat 22 is connected at 26 to the casing,- serving to ground this side.` From the other side of the rheostat a conductor 21 extends to the batteries, which,V of course, may be connected in any desired fashion, either in series, parallel, or series-parallel, ani'l` from the other side otthebatteries a conductor 28 ,extends to theswitch arm 22. A conductor l can be conveniently controlled by adjusting rheostat 22. v

'I'he operation ofthe device is as follows:

20 and 22 and places upoi one-of them a drop of clear oil 4|.asis indicated in Figure '1. He then closes the plates as shown in Figure 8 and so squeezes the'drop of oil out to form a film at 4l. Itwilltifiusbeseen 28 and 22 are in contact.'l

'I'he operator rst cleans the surface of panes l between the panes and overlying the holes".

nlm is of course deter- 2I. He next inserts the The thickness of this mined by the spacers f slide in support i until it engages the stop 21.

At this point the hook 24has engaged switch arm 2l 'and pressed it against arm 2l causing 4the current to iiow through the lamp l and illuminate the same.. He next observes the posil A meter 2l and then adjusts rheostat 22 until this hand points to the one hundredpercent mark of the meter.

He then removes the slide, wipes oi! the oil and replaces it with a drop of the oil which it -is de- He again closes the slide, latches the hook and places the slide in the support Ii. 'Ineusedoilwill,ofcourse.permit the' passage of. less light-than would the/clean oil `and-'theineterhandwillnowswingtosoniemark that of the clear oil.

It is only necessary to bear in mind what percentages indicate oil that is still usable and what indicate oil that should be replaced. .-However, it is probably more convenient to mark upon the Vface of the dial the percentages whicl indicate a proper condition and those which indicate the necessity for change, such as is illustrated in the drawings by the spaces marked with the words Secured-upon the exterior of the casing is an open topped box-like support 42 which may be conveniently divided into compartments for vthe reception of slides and for jars or bottles 3 containing the clear oil used as a standard.

In Figure a slide is shown in which set screws |2| have been substituted for the glass spacers 2|, these set screws being threaded into pane.

|22 and bearing upon the stationary pane |20, so that the thickness of the film is determined by the amount of extension of the setscrews and adjustment is provided for. `No hook is provided in this form of slide but a projectinglug |24 performs its function in operating the switch, the arms of the slide being held together solely by the hands of the operator -until insertion in the support 5 and thereafter by the` ends of this support; A ball vlatch maybe provided to, hold the slide in position within the support.

The thickness ofthe illm is-determined solely, in the rst form by the thickness of the spacer plates 2|, and infthe second by the extending portions of the spacer set screws |2|, the panes being resiliently pressedA toward each other, so

-that any variations of temperature or other causes of expansion in the arms or other parts of the slide will not affect the thickness of the film, and such variations as may take Iplace are due to 4the expansion of the spacers alone and hence are insignificant.

While the initial setting of the device lhas been described as obtainedwith a film of standard fiuid, it-will be apparent that any fluid or solid transparent standards might be used. For inlarity, it" will be obvious that many modications.

stance, a film or sheet' of glass, celluloid, paper or the like which might be colored or-rendered partly opaque may be supplied as a standard.

While Ihave described the above illustrated embodiments'of my invention in some particuand `variations therein may. beinade and that theprinciples embodied are applicable tc many `uids other than the oil above referred to. The field referred to, however, is one in which vthe invention finds considerable utility and which, it is believed, serves well as an example to clearly indicate how this invention may be used in many' latch means for retaining the-arms in closedl position, the arms being of generally channel-v yond the spacers.

shaped cross section, the panes being positioned within the recesses of the arms.

2. In combination with an incandescent light source and a light sensitive element, a guide interposed between said source and element, and

adapted toreceive a carrier, said guide having a pair of aligned apertures, a carrier inserted in said guide having two arms hinged togetherjat one end, panes of transparent material` supported by' said arms, apertures through said arms in alignment with eachv other vand with the apertures in the guide, the apertures being nearer one end of the arms than the other and so adapted to-register with the apertures in the guide when the carrier is inserted in one position only.

3. In combination with an incandescentlight source and a light sensitive element, a guide in terposed between said source and element and adapted to receive a carrier, said guide having a Apair of aligned apertures, a carrier inserted in said guide having two arms hinged' together at one end, panes of transparent material supported by said arms, apertures through said arms in alignment with eachother and with the apertures in the guide, the apertures being nearer one end of the arms than the otherand so adapted to register with the apertures in the guide when the carrier isirlserted in one position vonly,and means on said guide pressing said arms together. f

4.In combination with an incandescent light source andl a light sensitive element, a guide interposed between lsaid source and element. and adapted to receive a carrier, said guide having l a pair of aligned apertures, a carrier inserted in said guide having two arms hinged together at one end, panes of transparent material supported by said arms, apertures through said' arms in alignment with each other and with the apertures in the guide, the apertures .being nearer one end of the arms than the other and so adapted to register with the apertures in the V guide when the carrier is inserted in one posi- 'tion only, a stop limiting, the .motion of said carrier into said guide, a projection on' one of saidarms, ,and a.switch adapted to be operated by said projection and controlling said source of 5. A slide for inspecting materials which comr prises two transparent panes, spacers interposed' to maintain the panes ata predetermined distance, a carrier for said panes consisting. of two vhinged arms each carrying one pane, the arms being of generally channel-shaped cross section defining recesses and the panes being positioned within the recessesy of the arms.' Y

6. A slidesfor inspecting materials which comprises two' relatively movable transparent panes having plane adjacent surfaces, a carrier for vsaid panes consistingl of two hinged arms each vcarrying one pane, a plurality of plane surfaced spacers yinterposed between said panes, the

spacers being separated to. permitfree flow of liquid between the panes and between and be- '7. A slide for inspecting materials which comprises two relatively movable transparent panes having plane adjacent surfaces,-a carrier for thel panes toward each other and against the spacers.

8. A slide for inspecting materials which comprises two relatively movable transparent panes having plane adjacent surfaces', a carrier for said panes consisting oftwo hinged, arms eachy carrying one pane, a plurality of plane surfaced spaeers interposed between said panes, the

sspacersbeinsl separated to permit free ow of liquid between the panes and between and beyond the spacers, said carrier constituting a protection for. said panes and comprisingrelatively movable arms 4ancilresiiient means pressing the panes toward each other and against the spacers.

I REX D. MCDILLL 

